Cooking 101: How to Brew Coffee and Tea

1.USE FRESH COFFEE: Coffee that's been sitting around in an open can for a month or more can't be expected to have full flavor.Try to buy no more than a week's supply of coffee at one time.

2.USE THE CORRECT GRIND FOR YOUR BREWING METHOD: The idea is to extract just the right amount of the oils from the ground coffee. If the coffee is ground too coarse, not enough of the oils will be extracted and you'll end up with a tasteless brew.Too fine and the flavor can lean toward bitter.

3. USE GOOD-TASTING COLD WATER: Brewed coffee is more than 98% water. If you don't drink the water from your faucet because of off-flavors, don't expect it to make good coffee. Use bottled or filtered water.

4. MEASURE THE COFFEE AND THE WATER: If you want your expectations to be met day after day, measure. Start with the amount of ground coffee the package suggests but in the end the amount of ground coffee you use per 6 fluid ounces of water is entirely up to you. Always make at least half the capacity of your coffee maker. If you make a pot of coffee and it turns out to be too strong for your taste, don't pour more water through the grounds; instead dilute what you've made with freshly heated water.

5. MAKE SURE YOUR COFFEE MAKER HEATS WATER TO PROPER BREWING TEMPERATURE (195ºF to 205ºF): Look for an electric drip coffee maker that's at least 1,200 watts. If you are boiling water (to pour into a manual drip coffee filter), bring it to a boil, then take the kettle or pan off the heat and let it stand briefly for the temperature to drop slightly.

6. BE PATIENT: Wait until the entire pot has brewed before pouring yourself a cup. Otherwise that first cup will be very strong, but the rest will be wishy-washy.

7. THEN BE IMPATIENT: Serve the coffee as soon as possible when its aroma and flavor are best. Freshly brewed means fresh taste; flavor starts to deteriorate after about 20 minutes. If you must keep it hot, use a vacuum carafe or flask.

8. KEEP YOUR COFFEE MAKER CLEAN: You know that stale coffee smell? If it's coming from old coffee oils on your brewing equipment, it can affect the flavor of the brew. Check the instructions that come with your coffee maker to learn how to properly clean it.

The selection

CINNAMON ROAST: The beans are roasted to the color of cinnamon and smell more like toasted grain. Some tasters maintain that cinnamon-roasted beans often are sour and lack body.

AMERICAN ROAST: The roasted beans are light brown, with a flavor that's neither too heavy nor too light. This is the most popular roast in the eastern part of the U.S.

MEDIUM ROAST: A darker roast popular in the western parts of the U.S.

FRENCH ROAST: Heavily roasted beans that are a deep chocolate brown and produce a rich coffee.

ITALIAN: Glossy, brown-black beans with strong flavor, used for espresso when very finely ground. Can be used for drip, too.

SPANISH: This is the darkest roast of all.

FLAVORED COFFEES: Vanilla, vanilla-almond, chocolate-hazelnut and chocolate-raspberry are some of the flavors that can be added to coffee beans. If you think of coffee as bitter and astringent, try going for a darker roast. And keep in mind, it's not just the roast that determines the flavor. Coffee made with beans from Ethiopia will taste different than coffee brewed from beans grown in Mexico, even if both are French roast.

HISTORICAL NOTE: Around AD 600 to 900, the red cherry-like fruit of the coffee tree was fermented and made into wine. Another hundred or more years passed before the green beans (found inside the red berries) were boiled to make a beverage.

NOT IN THE MOOD TO BREW? Instant coffee is popular in many parts of the world, even in some coffee-producing countries. There are two kinds:

INSTANT COFFEE: Freshly brewed coffee is spray dried.

FREEZE-DRIED COFFEE: Freshly brewed coffee is frozen into a slush before the water is evaporated. Generally has a fresher flavor than instant because it is not exposed to high temperatures.

DECAFFEINATED COFFEE: Caffeine is present in all coffee beans. The average cup of coffee has enough caffeine (about 115 milligrams in a 5-ounce cup) to stimulate the heartbeat, increase mental activity and cause sleeplessness in some coffee drinkers. Those who are sensitive to caffeine can choose to drink decaffeinated coffee. Not long ago, coffee lovers had little selection when it came to decaffeinated coffee, but today there is a wide variety of roasted decaffeinated beans and grinds so that no one who enjoys the flavor of coffee needs to feel deprived.

There are two methods of removing the caffeine from coffee beans. It can be removed by water or by solvents. Using water is more time consuming and therefore more costly than relying on solvents—even so, some coffee drinkers feel that water-decaffeinated beans are inferior. Regardless of the method, 97% of the caffeine is removed from the beans, rendering them essentially caffeine-free. The beans are then blended, roasted and ground. Surprisingly, a cup of inexpensive American coffee (the sort sold at diners and fast-food outlets) may have as much as 25% more caffeine than a cup brewed from specialty coffee beans. Espresso has slightly less caffeine than percolated coffee.

CAFÉ COFFEES AND OTHER SPECIAL COFFEES: Coffee bars and restaurants serving specialty coffees are extremely popular. Following is a list of terms often used at these emporiums.

CAFÉ AU LAIT: This is the French term for coffee with milk and most often refers to equal portions of scalded milk and coffee.

CAFÉ BRÛLOT: Famous in New Orleans, this is spiced coffee flavored with citrus peel and brandy. The brandy is heated and ignited (flambéed) before being poured into the coffee.

CAFFÈ LATTE: Similar to cappuccino, this calls for a higher proportion of milk to coffee. In many coffee bars, you can request caffè latte with skim milk or soy milk.

CAFÉ D'OLLA: A Mexican coffee made in a special pot using a method similar to Turkish coffee.

CAPPUCCINO: Cappuccino is made by topping espresso with steamed milk, which is pressurized to create a thick, creamy foam. Some of the milk mixes with the coffee. Cappuccino can be topped with cinnamon or cocoa.

ESPRESSO: This dark, strong coffee is made from finely ground dark-roast coffee beans (often called Italian roast). During brewing, steam or hot water is forced through the grind, resulting in the characteristic thin layer of foam topping true espresso. In Southern Italy and the U.S., espresso is served in small cups with a piece of lemon peel, a custom that supposedly started during World War II when Italians used roast ground chicory instead of coffee and thought the touch of lemon made the chicory brew taste more like their beloved espresso.

GREEK COFFEE: Starts with a sweet blend of Brazilian coffee and roasted chicory root. Made the same way as Turkish coffee but of course no Greek would ever call it Turkish.

IRISH COFFEE: Usually served in restaurants and bars, this is a potent blend of strong coffee and Irish whisky, sweetened with sugar and topped with a generous spoonful of whipped cream.

THAI COFFEE: In Thailand, Vietnam and other countries where fresh dairy products are in short supply evaporated milk is used for coffee.When it comes to iced coffee, sweetened condensed milk is used for a hard-to-stop-sipping beverage.

TURKISH COFFEE: To make Turkish coffee, water and sugar are put into a special metal pot with a long handle called an "ibrik." Pulverized coffee is sprinkled on top and the whole is brought to a boil until the water foams up through the coffee layer. The boilings are repeated twice more, then the coffee is stirred before being immediately poured into tiny cups. Rich, thick Turkish coffee defies the common wisdom about never boiling coffee. In some parts of the Middle East,Turkish coffee is flavored with cardamom or cloves; in North Africa coriander seed is preferred. In a restaurant coffee is ordered by the degree of sweetness desired.

Turkish coffee was invented during the 16th century and spread throughout the Middle East and into Europe and Russia. Today in the U.S. it can be found in Middle Eastern and Greek restaurants from New York to San Francisco. It is always sipped slowly. Turkish coffee can be made with any bean as long as it is pulverized (beyond finely ground).

In 15th-century Turkey it became legal for a woman to divorce her husband if he failed to provide her with her daily coffee quota.

Tea

HOW TO MAKE A PERFECT POT OF TEA: Tea may be brewed to be enjoyed either hot or cold. The preferred method for making a pot of tea is to use loose tea, although tea bags work nearly was well and are easier to use. Begin by filling a metal teakettle with cold tap water. When the water gets close to the boiling point, pour some into a ceramic, porcelain or silver teapot to warm it. Just as the kettle boils, pour the hot water from the teapot and add the tea. Use one heaping teaspoon of loose tea or one tea bag for each cup. If you like tea very strong add an extra teaspoon or an extra tea bag "for the pot." Pour the boiling water over the tea. Those who like tea on the weak side pour their brew into a cup immediately. For a stronger brew, let it steep for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring once to distribute the flavor. While the length of steeping determines the strength of the tea, if you steep the tea for much longer than 5 minutes, black tea will be bitter. Pour the tea directly into the teacups or another warm pot for serving, straining it if necessary.

HOW TO MAKE A PERFECT CUP OF TEA: Just as with a pot of tea, it's important to begin with good, cold tap water. Bring it to rapid boil and then pour it quickly over a tea bag, a tea ball filled with loose tea or over a heaping teaspoon of loose tea inside a warmed cup or mug.

Let the tea steep for 1 to 4 minutes. White tea is the exception to the boiling water rule. White tea tastes best when the water is brought to a boil then removed from the heat and allowed to cool for a minute or two before being poured over the tea leaves or tea bag.

TEA VARIETIES: Teas are made from the leaves of the tea plant, called Camellia sinensis, and are named according to their region of origin (Assam, Ceylon, Darjeeling), how the leaves are processed after picking or according to a special blending (Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast). Tea is grown mainly in India, Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) and China. The newly-picked leaves are spread out on racks and allowed to wither, making them soft and pliable. Next the leaves are rolled into twists and curls, something that is still done by hand for rare teas. The rolling breaks down the leaf cells. After rolling, the treatments vary according to the type of tea.

BLACK TEA: means the leaves have been fermented before being heated and dried. Black tea produces a deep, reddish-brown brew. English Breakfast is a black tea as is the smoky Lapsang Souchong. (In China, black teas are called red teas.)

GREEN TEA: is not fermented at all; instead it is steamed and dried. Gunpowder tea is a green tea, as are Lung Ching (China) and Bancha ( Japan). It was green tea, 342 wooden chests of it, that got tossed overboard into Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773, as the colonists protested British oppression.

OOLONG: tea leaves are partially fermented and the flavor, not surprisingly, is somewhere between black and green tea.

WHITE TEA: is also not fermented. The difference here is that the leaves are picked before they are fully unfurled when the tips of the shoots are still covered with tiny white hairs, thus the name. White tea actually produces a slightly darker and more flavorful brew than green tea. There are numerous teas, each with its distinct flavor, aroma and origin. Here are some of the best known:

ASSAM: This tea, from the Assam district of India, is a strong black tea.

CEYLON: Sri Lanka is known for its superlative teas, which often are referred to as Ceylon teas. Ceylon teas are black teas.

DARJEELING: Another black tea, Darjeeling is named after a region of India in the foothills of the Himalayas and is among the world's most prized teas.

EARL GREY: Named for Charles, the second Earl Grey of Britain, this tea is a favorite blending of black teas usually scented with bergamot.

ENGLISH BREAKFAST: This brisk tea is a blending of black teas from India and Sri Lanka.

FORMOSA OOLONG: An oolong tea from Taiwan, this is considered the best oolong by connoisseurs. Oolong teas are made from a partially fermented tea that is a cross between a green and black tea.

LAPSANG SOUCHONG: This black tea comes from China and has a distinctive smoky flavor.

ORANGE PEKOE: Although this term usually refers to a popular blending of Ceylon tea leaves, it is also a grade of tea leaf.

RED TEA, OR ROOIBOSS (ROY-BOSS): From a different plant indigenous to the Southwestern Cape region of South Africa, rooiboss is considered an herbal tea, not a true tea. It produces a rich-flavored brew. Other teas are made from fruit, herbs, spices or flowers. These are called tisanes or herbal teas.

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